Kingdom Hearts, Awaken Eternity
by Locke Es Foiles
Summary: There was once a boy who traveled the many worlds, fighting the Darkness and having his Heart be his Guiding Key. He made many friends and influenced the Hearts of many. After the Darkness was beaten back, he disappeared with his closest friends. Now, the Darkness returns, and the man that was once that boy is nowhere to be seen. All seems lost, but a new boy has been chosen...
1. The Awakening

_Where..._

 _Where am I..?_

 _I feel strange..._

 _I feel small..._

 _I feel weak..._

 _I feel hopeless..._

 _I feel darkness..._

Yoru was fast asleep as he fell through a pitch black void, no way of telling where he was or how he'd gotten there.

Yoru remembered talking with his childhood friend Luna, then slipping and falling off the High Rock they stood on. He feels he should've died from the height of the fall. Wait, that's just it!

 _Am I dead!?_ The boy wondered, thoughts going wild.

 _I'm only fifteen! I have seventy more years ahead of me! I haven't even told Luna that I love her!_

Yoru opened his silver eyes suddenly, and found himself standing on a large stained glass platform. The platform he stood on depicted himself asleep, laying opposite to the beautiful girl he called his friend; Luna. In his hand was a strange weapon, looking like a mix between a sword and a key. Around him were images of things he held dear, like his mouse necklace, his totem charm, his wooden sword, his dirty grey scarf, and the crescent moon. He'd always loved the moon...

 _"It seems that you need only the one to make your Heart complete."_

A Voice cut through the calm silence. It was undefinable, toneless, and unlike anything that could be described. Though, it was warming...

"Am I dead?" Yoru asked somberly, his eyes on the image of Luna.

 _"No, Child. You've still a Destiny to fulfill."_

Yoru looked to the blackness above him like it was the sky. "Destiny?" He asked, "What Destiny? I'm just a kid who lives on a mountain, no parents, no friends, just Luna."

 _"We all have a Destiny, Child. Yours is yet to come."_

In the split second the Voice finished speaking to Yoru, the stain glass platform beneath him began to crack. The floor shattered, and Yoru was sent falling through the darkness once more!

 _Grrk! I can't see a thing! This limbo is making me nauseous!_

Yoru's vertigo went away when he saw another glass platform. This one depicted a young woman of Arabic descent. The glass color was red and yellow and gave off a warm feeling.

 _"We all have battles to fight..."_

Out of the platform rose three pedestals, a sword floating above each.

 _"Which tool do you use?"_

Yoru approached the one directly ahead of him. It was a longsword with a blue and silver handle. Its blade was chrome, reaching the length of three feet. Its silver cross guard curved upwards, the leather grip a deep red. In the center of the guard was a symbol exactly like his mouse necklace, emblazoned in black.

 _"The power of the Guardian; One who can protect those he cares about, even if he must sacrifice himself..."_

Yoru stood there, contemplating the Voice's words.

 _Protect those I care about? I always want to keep Luna safe, even if it kills me..._

Yoru reached out and took the sword, which disappeared in his grip. As it disappeared, it disintegrated into countless sparks of light, all floating toward the emptiness above. Yoru felt something in his chest change; a warm feeling. Like he'd just added an extra lair of protection around his heart.

 _"Interesting..."_

The pedestal where the sword once floated sunk slowly into the platform Yoru stood. Yoru turned to the other two swords. One was bronze and green, the other was gold and red.

 _"There are sacrifices a hero must make. Which of these powers would you give up?"_

Yoru walked over to the green one. It was identical to the sword he'd grabbed just moments ago, only its silver was replaced with bronze and its blue replaced by green. The blade seemed to be a darker, dimmer shade of metal as well.

 _"The power of the Sentinel; One who chases the darkness, dispelling it from any place it could hide..."_

Yoru frowned at the idea of chasing any darkness, he only wished to protect those he cares about; or in this case, the one he cares about. He reached his hand out without hesitation, grabbing the sword. It dissipated in the same manor as the blue sword before it, raising in sparks toward the heavens.

 _"You've made your decision..."_

The ground below Yoru started to shake. Before Yoru could react, the glass shattered like the other did before! Yoru was sent falling down, sent back into his directionless limbo.

 _This is getting old, real fast..._

Another platform appeared, this time beneath his feet.

Yoru looked down at the image and saw a young blonde girl in a blue dress. She was painting white roses red, and she was surrounded by cards and flowers. The glass was a dark green and gave off an eerie feeling.

 _"Be careful, Child..."_ The Voice warned, _"For the Darkness lurks ever close..."_

Yoru turned around and saw three black blotches on the floor, odd, black, creepy hands grabbing the brim and pulling their creepy, dark, ant-like bodies out of the black puddles. Yoru looked at these monsters and felt something in his chest sink. They had such cold, dead, yellow eyes...

 _"Protect your heart!"_

The three Shadows lurched forward, claws outstretched to take Yoru's heart! Yoru didn't know what brought it, but the blue sword from before appeared in his hand. He swung his blade quickly, knocking back the three approaching demons!

 _"Show me your will to fight!"_

Yoru eyed the monsters, his sword held firmly in both hands like a samurai would wield his katana. He closed his eyes and calmed himself, awaiting the Shadows' next move.

"Now!" He yelled, swiping his sword before him and cutting a monster in half as it attempted to pounce him! The other two twitched a little before sprinting in to avenge their fallen brethren. "Come and get it!" Yoru shouted angrily, slashing one down the middle and sending it back! One jumped up and clawed Yoru's shoulder, leaving three black streaks and getting a sharp cry of pain from the boy!

"Argh!" Yoru turned to the two creatures, both standing there, twitching happily at their successful strike to the boy's shoulder. "You cretins are gonna pay for that!" Yoru threatened, pointing his sword challengingly at the two. "Come here and get what's coming, you ugly blotches of black paint!" The two apparently had enough taunting, as they sprinted in once more!

Yoru kicked one back, then used his momentum to deliver a killing blow to the other! The lone Shadow stood, shaking and twitching its ball-like black head. Yoru's mouth curled into a smirk, then he ran in, delivering a hard blow to the side of the monster's head, killing it.

Yoru took a moment to calm down; catch his breath. He'd just defeated three strange monsters and his chest was hurting for some strange reason he couldn't decipher.

 _"Your will is strong, child..."_ The Voice mused, _"But you mustn't let yourself be taken by rage..."_

Yoru looked up to the black sky, "No battle was ever won by being gentle." He said, hoping the Voice heard him. He didn't necessarily know where it was coming from, so he assumed the sky.

Beneath Yoru came a cold, dragging feeling. It felt like sadness, anger, fear, and hate were all mixed into one feeling. He looked down to see that the floor he stood had now become a dark pool of black liquid, sucking at his legs and pulling him down!

 _Grk! Oh no! This is bad!_ Yoru thought as he struggled to free himself.

 _"Do not let go; hold onto that which brightens your life. You will reach the end..."_

The Darkness nearly swallowed Yoru, if not for one bright thought...

 _I have to live... I have to see Luna again..._

The world around Yoru brightened, and the overwhelming Darkness was replaced by blinding Light!

When his eyes opened, Yoru found that he was no longer within that strange place. He now stood on an island in the sky, chains attaching it to a large gold and white castle. Standing before him were three individuals. Two young adults and one boy about his age.

 _"What do you value most in your life?"_ The young man with huge pants and longer brown hair asked. His voice was that of _the_ Voice that had been speaking to Yoru through this whole strange experience.

 _What do I value most? Well that's easy!_

"I love my friend Luna, and I'd give anything to keep her happy and safe." Yoru told the young man, who may also be the Voice.

The young man shrugged. _"Predictable."_ He said simply.

The young woman with blue hair approached him next, _"What do you want most out of life?"_ She asked him, using the same Voice as the other young man.

 _What do I want most?_ Yoru wondered. He'd wanted a lot, to say the least. Everything he'd always wanted he could never have, with the exception of Luna. His home was boring as dirt, he had no parents, his only friend was Luna, and he'd been terrible at school. Everything in the world besides Luna was worthless to him. _Wait, that's it! The world!_

"I want to see new Worlds with the one I care about." Yoru replied confidently. The young woman's eyebrows raised curiously. _"Interesting..."_ She said.

Yoru was turned around by a hand on his shoulder to face a teenage boy with spiky blonde hair and a large pad on his left shoulder. _"What do you fear most in the world?"_ He asked abruptly.

 _Spiders!_ Yoru thought jokingly. He thought harder about his response, when it became obvious to him.

"I'm afraid of losing those that I care about; I'm afraid of being left alone." Yoru responded with a look of worry in his eyes as he told the boy.

The blonde boy smiled, _"You have a good Heart, Yoru. You'll be fine..."_

With that, the world around Yoru lit up in a flash of blinding Light!

When Yoru's eyes opened, he found himself in the dark abyss he was before, standing on a new glass platform. This one depicted a wasteland, completely covered in those swords that looked like keys. Atop a large plateau was a large bright blue moon, shaped like a Heart. It gave off an angelic feel, even though it was just a piece of glass. The majority of the glass was dark blue, giving Yoru a sad feeling in his chest.

 _"Be careful, Child..."_

Yoru felt a cold, sad, dark feeling behind him. Like a horrible amalgamation of bad emotion had taken a form of mass and hovered just about the nape of his neck. Yoru turned to see his shadow had taken on a physical form and stood directly before him.

Yoru's shadow was an exact mirror image of himself, though blackened out like a silhouette. In place of human eyes were two cold, dead, yellow dots. In its hand was a silhouette of the blue sword he'd wielded before.

 _"For the Darkness within you can be your greatest Rival..."_

The dark mirror of Yoru swung its sword sloppily at Yoru, nearly taking off his head! Yoru narrowly avoided the strike, stepping back, he felt his sword appear in his hand once more!

Yoru and his Shadow looked each other in the eyes, then charged!

Yoru slashed downward at the replica, only to be blocked! The thing looked weak, but its strength was great. It shoved back Yoru, sending him stumbling, then charged to deliver a hard blow to the boy's chest!

"Gahk!" Yoru cried, feeling his Heart grow colder. He looked down at his chest and noticed a large black mark across it. He shook off the pain, then ran back in, delivering a rapid succession of swings! Almost all the attempts were blocked by the boy's shadow, but the final one caught him by the hip. Yoru decided to play dirty and thrusted his fist into his shadow's face.

The silhouette shook and twitched its head, trying to get the pain to subside. Yoru took this opportunity to trip his shadow! While the dark mirror lay on the floor, it threw a glance at Yoru that almost seemed pleading.

 _"The Darkness can be eradicated, though you stop?"_

Yoru looked down to the shadow, "It's still a living thing." Yoru said, "It doesn't need to die if it's already surrendered..."

 _"When the time comes to take a life..."_

The Dark liquid from before grabbed ahold of Yoru's legs once more!

 _"Would you be strong enough?"_

Yoru began to struggle, he looked down at the pleading shadow that produced this Darkness!

 _"Would you have the courage?"_

Yoru was waist deep in the dark pool, still staring the dark reflection in the eyes!

 _"True strength isn't being able to take a life, Child."_

Yoru was up to his neck in the Darkness!

 _"But having the Heart to spare one."_

Yoru saw a Light descend from the dark sky above, like a message from heaven. Another voice cut through the gurgling of the dark pool, though what it was trying to say was inaudible.

 _"Just remember this... You are the only one who gets to decide your Destiny."_

Yoru reached his hand out, grabbing a hold of the bright ball of light!

Then, he heard it...

"WAKE UP!"


	2. The day to day

"Wake up! Yoru, wake up!"

Yoru felt a sudden sharp pain in his ribs! He groaned as he opened his silver eyes to see two bright blue ones staring right back at them.

"Gah!" Yoru cried, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of the girl hanging less than a foot away from his face. "For God's sake, Luna! Don't do that to me!" Yoru cried, trying to catch his breath.

Luna, the girl who had just woken Yoru up, gave an exaggerated glare at her friend. "Yoru, you lazy bum! We're supposed be down at school doing work!" She stamped her foot down to further prove her point.

 _Luna's so cute when she's mad at me. Or trying to be mad at me. The way her short brown hair bounces as she yells..._

"...Every time I-" Luna cut her rant short, "Are you even listening to me, Yoru!?" She demanded, looking down at the boy like a queen looks down at her cowering subjects. She then proceeded to whack Yoru lightly on the side of his head, messing with his spiky charcoal hair.

"Oww! Uh, yeah! I'm listening. Stuff about me being lazy and other stuff." Yoru span quickly from his mouth as he rubbed where he'd been hit, gaining another exaggerated glare from the girl.

"Yoru..." She said simply.

"Yes, Luna?"

"You're an idiot..." She offered her hand to the boy who was still sitting on the floor. Yoru smiled and took her hand. "But don't worry, you're my idiot..." With that, Luna's frown curled into a smile. "Come on sleepy head, we gotta get back to town." She told him.

With that, the two of them started down the dirt path that lead to the town. The woods on both sides of the path reached toward the afternoon sky. Behind the two teens was a huge cliff that overlooked the rest of the mountain, then a forest that stretched all the way to the horizon. This mountain that the two of them lived on was their home; their whole world. It's name was Mount Fate.

Yoru and Luna finally made it back to town. It was a quaint little place with not many buildings, maybe eleven or so. Trees shot up from the sides of the pathways. At the far end of the town was a small school, and next to that was the sawmill.

 _Ugh... The sawmill..._ Yoru thought as he walked with Luna back to school. Then something suddenly occurred to Yoru.

"Hey! Why aren't you in school?" Yoru questioned, raising a finger accusingly at his best friend. She whipped around to face him, a nervous look in her eyes...

"Well, I, uh..." She stuttered, looking away from the blonde boy.

"You ditched too!" Yoru pointed out.

"Shut up, Yoru! I was out looking for you." Luna stated, crossing her arms, "I'll have you know that I have an obligation as your Best Friend to make sure you're doing what's right." She turned her head away indignantly with a 'hmmf'.

"Well, being my Best Friend might not be such a good deal after all." Yoru snarked. Luna turned to her friend with a serious look that stopped Yoru dead in his tracks. "Did I say something wrong?" Yoru asked.

Her face was scrunched up in an attempt to look angry, but Yoru could see that part of her was smiling behind all that false malice. "Nothing Yoru... Idiot..." She turned to continue walking. "You know, if it weren't for me being your friend you wouldn't have a moral compass." Luna pointed out as if to brag. Yoru couldn't help but roll his eyes at her behind her back. "I mean it! If it weren't for me you wouldn't be any better than Kadaj and his brothers."

As if on queue, three boys rounded a corner.

"I heard my name, Luna." Said the one in the center, "I hope you weren't spreading nasty rumors about us."

The three boys all looked related. Pale skin, silver hair, teal reptilian eyes.

"Nothing that hasn't already been said, Kadaj." Luna challenged.

Kadaj was the oldest of the brothers. His silver hair ran to his shoulders, teal eyes like a snake, and a cruel yet childish sneer that seemed to be constant. Like his two brothers, he wore an outfit made from black cloth and leather. On his back was an elongated wooden katana with two 'blades' running parallel to each other.

"Oh, that's just lovely, Luna." Kadaj said with a smile as he reached for the training sword holstered on his back. Yoru caught notice of this action and moved quickly.

"Luna!" He cried, tackling her over before Kadaj's sword could hit her. Yoru tumbled, holding Luna in his arms, making sure nothing would hurt her. He turned to the three boys who were having a laugh. "Hey!" He growled, "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit girls!?"

The trio of assailants stopped their laughing and turned to the boy as soon as their mother came into the equation. "Did he speak badly about our mother!?" Loz, the youngest but definitely strongest demanded.

Loz. He was the same height as his oldest brother Kadaj. His silver hair was cut short and slicked back, his teal lizard-like eyes shone with anger at the blonde boy before him. He wore an outfit identical to Kadaj's and along his left wrist was an iron gauntlet.

"Uhh, no big guy! I didn't mean anything by-" Yoru was cut short by his friend, who was still in his arms, "He meant to say that your mother did a lousy job of bringing up you clods!" Luna barked, still flustered by the attempt to hurt her.

Loz was in a fit now. His eyes were filled with rage and a vein on his forehead was bulging. "Nobody talks bad about Mother!" He shot, clenching his armored fist. Before he could charge and attack the girl who insulted his mother, a hand reached out grabbing him. Loz turned to his right to see his brother, Yazoo, holding him back. "Don't cry, Loz. Mother didn't raise a crybaby." He said under his breath. The statement seemed to calm Loz, but just barely.

Yazoo was the middle child and the shortest of the three. His silver hair ran down to his mid back and covered his left eye, which was teal and reptilian just like his brothers'. He was the calmest and most attractive of the group. Well, the most attractive in Luna's eyes. On his waist were two wooden shortswords.

"What the heck Luna!? Now they're gonna try to kick the crap out of us!" Yoru said, still holding onto Luna. That was when he realized he was still holding her and quickly let go, a shade of red hitting both their faces. "Well, why don't you kick their butts first?" Luna suggested, grabbing a wooden broom that was leaned against a wall. She promptly snapped the brush end off with her foot and offered the wooden pole to Yoru. "Come on, I believe in you." Yoru shrugged, then took the handle from the girl. Yoru then turned to the three brothers, his 'weapon' held behind him in his right hand.

Kadaj sneered at Yoru's action. "I'll have you know that anyone who talks bad about Mother is dead meat." He threatened, both his brothers readying themselves for a fight as well, "As well as anyone who stands in our way." Kadaj cracked his neck, then gave his sword a taunting spin. "Are you ready, brothers?" The two nodded, Loz throwing in a grunt.

Luna stood behind Yoru with her fists clenched. She had full confidence in her friend, but she still didn't want to see him get hurt. _Why can't I keep my mouth shut?_ Luna asked herself, looking at the situation she'd put Yoru into.

The first to attack was Loz, throwing in a fast punch to Yoru's jaw, sending him flying back. Yoru tumbled back, landing on his feet, then back stepping to narrowly avoid Yazoo slamming down with a downward slash.

Kadaj was in the back, laughing at the fight. Luna was watching and biting her lip, feeling guiltier with every hit Yoru took.

Yoru decided to take the offensive, dashing forward and bringing his weapon across Yazoo's chest. Yazoo was sent back, Loz taking his place. Loz meant to deliver another devastating strike to Yoru's face, but was met with an equally devastating blow to his own. Yazoo and Loz were both on their knees beside each other, trying to catch their breath.

"You two are incompetent," Kadaj mocked, passing between his brothers and spinning his sword around his wrist, finally catching it in his right hand. He approached Yoru with his trademark sneer, full of dangerous confidence. "I'll make this wretch regret talking about Mother."

Yoru and the skinny silver haired bully stared each other down. A determined glare in Yoru's eyes, while a stare akin to that of a mad jester dancing in Kadaj's eyes.

Yoru made the first move, running in with his stick trailing behind him. Kadaj stepped aside and delivered a painful strike to Yoru's side, gaining a grunt of pain from the boy. Kadaj couldn't help but let out a childish giggle as he rapidly stuck Yoru all over. Yoru was sent back by one extra powerful blow, landing three feet back.

 _This hurts... So much..._ Yoru thought, his strength beginning to leave him, _But if I don't drive these crazies off, they'll attack Luna..._

"Come on Yoru, you can do better than that!" Luna shouted at her friend. Yoru turned to see her cheering for him. He couldn't help but smile as a warmth entered his Heart. Yoru took up his fighting stance once more, reinvigorated with thoughts of Luna and a warm feeling dancing in his Heart. "Alright Kadaj," He taunted, "Let's finish this!" Kadaj's sneer twitched a little between an enraged snarl and his usual psychotic whimsey. "Stupid boy..." He growled, giving his sword a decorative spin, "I'm gonna make you bleed..." He slowly approached Yoru with his weapon forward, "Then I'm gonna jar the blood and bring it to Mother..."

Yoru didn't wait as he swung his broomstick, hitting Kadaj hard in his side. Kadaj yelped in pain before regaining his composure and attacking Yoru. His sword swung hard and fast, but Yoru caught each strike thrown at him. Yoru took the offensive once more, shoving Kadaj back with his palm, then he proceeded to deliver a series of hard strikes, finishing with a spinning swipe that knocked the silver haired boy on his back.

"Get out of here!" Yoru threatened, pointing his 'sword' at the three fleeing boys. They were stumbling over each other, Yazoo in the front and Kadaj just behind, Loz trailing slowly in the back.

As if on instinct, Yoru delivers two diagonal swipes, then spins his weapon and attempts to holster it in its nonexistent sheathe. He tossed the broomstick aside, then turned to Luna. "That was stupid." He told her, "I nearly got beat to a pulp because of your mouth." Luna scowled at Yoru, "Yeah, but you did a pretty awesome job at fighting." Luna grabbed his wrist, then attempted to lead him back to school.

On arrival, the bell to get out rang. "Oh, come on!" Luna cried, children their age and older pouring out of the school's gates. "We missed school!" Luna turned to her friend, "I blame you." She said with another exaggerated glare. "Wha- Me?" Yoru questioned, "You're the one who antagonized those silver haired freaks!" Luna rolled her eyes at the exasperated boy, "Yeah, but we wouldn't have ran into them if you weren't ditching school." Yoru lifted his finger to counter but found it useless. He dropped his head in defeat, "Can we just get ice cream now?" He asked.

Today, like most days, the two went to the ice cream stand and bought theirs. Luna always had a chocolate ice cream bar, while Yoru preferred sea-salt. "Why do you enjoy that flavor so much?" Luna asked as they walked toward their usual spot; a large boulder overlooking the endless forest below their village. "Well, I don't really know." Yoru tried to explain, "Maybe because I've never seen the ocean?" He guessed. Luna chuckled a little, "How can that be your answer?" She asked. Yoru simply shrugged, "I guess I wanna see the ocean, the beach, anything besides trees, rivers and mountains."

They arrived at the base of their rock. Most people wouldn't know how to get up, though Yoru and Luna knew the exact places the rocks were at to climb.

Luna eyed Yoru mischievously, "Hey Yoru..." she began with a look in her eyes. Yoru sighed, because he knew exactly what that look about her eyes meant. "Yes Luna?" He replied, playing dumb in an attempt to humor the girl. "Race you!" She cried, running up to the boulder and grabbing hold of the rocks, her ice cream held in he mouth as she climbed. Yoru sighed, then did the same as he tailed behind her, climbing slower, but making steadier holds than his counterpart.

Luna was about to make it to the top of the boulder, when-

"Waaaahh!" Luna cried as her hands and feet slipped. Yoru's eyes widened as she fell, and as if on instinct he reached out and grabbed Luna's hand. Luna was dangling off, only being held by Yoru, who brought her closer. Their bodies were pressed against each other, and both teens had a shade of red about their face from the close contact.

Yoru could feel the rapid beat of Luna's heart, making his heart beat in time with hers. He could feel himself warm up as she leaned her head into his shoulder, still hyperventilating from the close call. "Th-thank you..." She stuttered, trying to catch her breath. "Y-you saved m-me..." She looked up at him, his embrace calming her down. Yoru's face was ten times as red as before, "W-well, uh, what're f-friends for!? Am I right?" Yoru said with a snarky smile.

 _Dang it Yoru! Dang it! You said the 'f' word! Friends!_ Yoru screamed in his head, _Now you'll be in the friend zone forever!_

Yoru brought Luna to the top, letting her go after catching his breath. He looked at her, she looked at him, then both of them smiled...

"You should really work out, Yoru. You take too long to catch your breath."

Yoru rolled his eyes at that comment, then turned to move to the side of the rock overlooking the Eternal Forest, the sun sinking down into the horizon.

The two of them stood next to each other, looking out at the sunset, eating ice cream, all their cares and stress leaving them.

"Hey Yoru?" Luna asked, breaking the peaceful silence of the moment. Yoru turned to her, "Yeah Luna?" He replied, taking another bite of his sea-salt ice cream. "What was all that back there at the bottom you said? You know, about seeing the ocean and such?" Yoru sighed, though not at all out of exasperation. "Well, I've never seen the ocean, though I know it exists. It has to, or else we'd have no idea what it is." Yoru quickly munched on some more salty ice cream. Luna sat there in contemplation, "Yeah, but there has to be more to it than that." She pressed on.

"I want an island." Yoru said simply.

Luna was caught off guard by this comment. "An island? Why?" She questioned, licking her chocolate bar soon thereafter. Yoru sighed. "I don't really know." He replied, "But I'd just love an island where I could sit around, play in the sand, the water, and just have the people I care about around me." Yoru turned to his counterpart, "People like you, Luna." This comment brought a healthy shade of red to Luna's face. She turned away, an embarrassed look about her. "Oh, don't say all that! I get embarrassed!" She said, hiding behind her hair.

 _Now! Now! Tell her how you feel!_ Yoru told himself. _The sun is setting, you got a beautiful view, she's blushing, no one else is around, tell her how you feel already!_

"Say, Luna..." Yoru began, scratching the back of his head. _Tell her! Tell her! Tell her!_ A million little voices in his head chanted. She turned to him, her face still red, a small bit of chocolate on her lip. "What is it, Yoru?" She asked. _Kiss her on the chocolate stain!_ One voice screamed. _No, don't do that you creep! Just tell her!_ Yoru nodded inside.

"Do you still have that Totem Charm?"

 _No! No!_ The voices screamed. _He blew it! The idiot blew his perfect chance!_

Luna's lips curled into a soft smile as she reached into her back pocket, "Sure do, Yoru." She produced a small wooden object. It was around five inches tall and was modeled like a miniature totem pole, with bear feet, an eagle at its base and a crescent moon adorning the top. "You got yours?" She asked. Yoru reached behind him and procured another small totem, almost identical with the exception of it being darker wood and a star adorning the top in place of a moon. "Of course." He replied, holding his close to hers.

When the two of them were little, they had to make these things in school for History. The legend behind them stated that if you made two totems, both nearly identical, the ones who possess them would be together, no matter what. Yoru and Luna's made theirs identical without even realizing it, resulting in students teasing them mercilessly, but also a friendship that has lasted to this day.

The two of them held their totems next to each other, the moon and the star nearly touching. "You know what Yoru..." Luna sighed, looking at the matching set, "I wouldn't mind living on an island with you."

The two of them sat there, staring at the sky as it grew darker. Yoru could see that Luna was getting colder, she did wear a sleeveless black tanktop and a blue miniskirt, so it's no wonder she's cold. Yoru took off his grey vest and offered it to the girl. "Here," He said, holding it out to her, "Put it on, you look cold." She nodded and took the vest from him, shoving her arms through the short sleeves. Now she wore a boys' blue short sleeved jacket over her top. "I look like a lesbian, don't I?" Luna said to Yoru, opting a chuckle from the boy.

"No Luna, you're fine. I'm pretty scrawny, so it shouldn't look too strange on you." Yoru at there in his zip-up t-shirt, a thermal tank top underneath to keep him warm in the mountainous region.

"You sure you're not cold?" Luna asked, watching Yoru shiver slightly next to her.

"Uh, n-no, I'm f-fine." Yoru lied, rubbing his exposed arms in an attempt to warm them.

"Okay then..." Luna replied, rolling her eyes at Yoru's stubbornness. "You're an idiot, Yoru..."

"Yeah, but I'm your idiot..."

"Yep."


	3. The new mission

Biggs was having a rough day. He'd lost a bet with his friend Jessie, he'd skipped breakfast, he was late for work, his partner Wedge was absent, and now the Commander wanted to see him. Could this day get any worse?

Biggs scratched his head, messing up his spiky mud brown hair. _Why, oh why, did I have to join AVALANCHE?_ He thought as he walked down the metallic corridor that lead to the Commander's office. _Maybe I wanted to become a hero, or something._ He guessed to himself as he pressed onward, _Maybe it just pays good munny._ He looked up and sighed at the faulty automatic doors that never opened by themselves like they should. _Maybe I was roped into it by Jessie._

He shut his dark blue eyes preparedly and pushed open the double doors.

"'Bout time you showed up, boy." A deep brutish voice sounded. Before Biggs was a huge computer with several reports and random things flying all over the screen. Standing at the bottom of the computer was a large, dark skinned, muscular man that was clad in a camouflage combat suit with a white vest over his torso. Most notably though was the man's right arm, or lack thereof. In its place was a gatling gun with snubbed barrels. The man turned slowly around to reveal a gruff, bearded face, with a large and obviously broken nose. "If you'd taken any longer I'd've sent Cid an' Red XIII to retrieve your sorry hide."

"Um, which Cid, sir? There's like, a million Cid's in our group." Biggs asked, a snarky grin across his face. His grin was quickly put away when he was grabbed by the brim of his green tank top and pulled inches away from his Commander's face. "Don't get smart with me, Boy. Any Cid'll do if it means I get to crack some skulls!" Barret barked, shoving the teen back. Biggs landed on his butt, sending a shock up his tailbone. "Alright, alright! What is it you called me for, sir?

Barret took a deep breath... "Somethin' ain't right with the worlds." He said, stress riddling every word.

"Huh?" Biggs asked dumbly.

"I said the Worlds are goin' to hell, boy!" Barret yelled, some spit getting on Biggs, much to his annoyance. Biggs righted himself to his feet. "I don't get it, the worlds have been fine-" Biggs was cut off quickly by another spout from his Commander, "The stars are goin' out, son! The Heartless are screwing up the Worlds and now the King over at Disney Castle's gone missin' again!"

Biggs took a moment to let that settle in. "I- But-" He stuttered, "But what, boy?" Barret questioned. Biggs was caught up in a huge inner conflict. "This is insane! What are we supposed to care!?" He cracked, receiving a hard, comical slap to the face. "Son, do you know what I founded AVALANCHE for?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow at the teenager before him. Biggs answered without thinking, "To protect the World of Midgar and her citizens-" Cut off by another slap. "Wrong, boy! That's the cover story for the citizens to see." Barret puffed out his chest and stood proudly, "AVALANCHE is a company of soldiers formed by Barret Wallace, to keep them worlds in order an' make sure that the Darkness is kept on the down low!"

Biggs and Barret stood there silently, Barret still in his puffed up leader pose, Biggs with his shoulders slumped in exasperation.

"So, what'a we do?" Biggs asked simply, "Or more accurately, wha' do _YOU_ do, boy." Barret said, pointing his gun arm at the teen with no intent to fire. "Excuse me?" Biggs replied, "You heard me, boy. You got ya'self a mission on your hands."

Biggs stood there with his jaw on the floor. He couldn't believe this, he'd only joined five months ago and now he's got a mission?

"That's right. I got somethin' for you to occupy yourself with durin' this here crisis." Barret repeated. Biggs simply nodded, a pained and fearful scream erupting throughout his head. "What do I... What do I need to do, sir?" He responded in a soldier-like manner, bracing for what would come next. Barret smirked, then typed in a series of codes into the large computer behind him.

On screen came footage of the King's right and left hand men, Donald and Goofy. They were discussing the absence of their King and their mission to find...

"The Key?" Biggs asked curiously. "Yep," Barret replied, "And guess who's gonna be lookin' for it?" Biggs scratched his chin, "Donald and Goofy?" Barret's nostrils flared at Biggs' stupidity, "No, ya' idiot! You're gonna be out there, after it!" Biggs nodded solemnly, _I was afraid he was gonna say that..._

"Commander Barret, why do we need a 'key'?" Biggs found himself asking. Barret grumbled a bit, then turned to the teen, letting out a sigh. "A while back, there was this kid who'd race around the stars, goin' from World to World..." The Commander began to explain, "He traveled wit' Donald and Goofy from Disney Castle, and they saved the known universe time an' time again," Biggs found himself listening very intently, his back straight and his eyes focused, "That boy had the Key, the key to save ev'rything and ev'ryone. But sadly, the boy went missin'..."

It all started to click in Biggs' head. He needed to find this boy, or at least someone who had the Key. Without the Key, things would only get worse.

So, after further explanation of his mission, Biggs was assigned two partners. _Oh god... It HAD to be them..._ He thought as he heard the names: "Jessie an' Wedge." Barret finished. Before Biggs could protest, he found himself being shoved out the door. "I don't want you comin' back, boy, until the Worlds are safe!"

With that, Biggs had a new mission. It was dumped on him, really. He had no say in accepting or rejecting it, no say in who he'd be working with, and pretty much no say in anything at all.

An hour or so later, Biggs was walking to the Gummi Ship hangar with one of his partners, Wedge. Wedge was a little on the chubbier side of the spectrum, and he wasn't the tallest of soldiers either. He had fuzzy black hair that he hid under a scarlet beanie, and dark green eyes as well. On his arms were two blocky metal gloves, designed to reinforce the punches he throws. Despite his being overweight, he could throw a nasty punch

"So, we're gonna finally head out?" Wedge asked excitedly. Biggs sighed, "Yeah, for the last time, we're headed out." Wedge pumped his armored fist happily, "Aw, sweet! Now we're finally gonna get to do something!" he cheered, raising both fists ecstatically into the air, much to Biggs' annoyance.

As they walked, Biggs explained the mission to his partner, who listened quite intently, much to Biggs' surprise.

"So, we're out there looking for some kind of 'Key'?" Wedge asked. Biggs simply nodded, "Yep," He clarified, "That's what Commander Barret said we're after." Wedge's arms drooped down, "Really? I thought we'd get to do something awesome; like storming a world full of Heartless." He whimpered sadly.

The two of them entered the hangar. The place was huge, filled with all kinds of different Gummi Ships, Gummi blocks, machines designed for building, and a huge open space for the ships to fly out of. Gears and cogs grind and turn, powering different machines and such.

Standing next to a blue medium sized Gummi Ship was a girl about Biggs' and Wedge's age, tinkering with a device in her hands. Her auburn hair was tied into a tail, bangs divided into two streams by a scarlet bandana, identical to the one around Biggs' forehead.

"Uh, hey Jessie." Biggs said, readying himself for whatever odd and hyperactive interaction he'd have with his friend.

The girl, revealed to be Jessie, turned around to face the two boys, revealing her vibrant amber eyes and a huge grin. "Hey guys! I just got the notification from Commander Barret!" Jessie informed, "We're gonna save the freaking universe!" She exclaimed, hopping up from her squatting position and pumping a gloved fist into the air.

"Uh, I don't think so, Jessie." Biggs said, "We're just out there to find a key or something."

Jessie's happy demeanor turned to an annoyed one, "God, Biggs. You have to suck the fun out of everything."

Jessie turned away from the two boys, then picked up the device she was working on. It looked to be made out of both metal and Gummi, with a screen and a few antennae. "Biggs," She said to the boy, "I made this for you to use while we're out." She handed the device to her friend.

"Oh, uh, cool... What is it?" He asked dumbly.

Jessie's face transitioned between both annoyed and excited, "I'm glad you asked, Biggs." She stepped back and placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest.

"This device is called a Conduit. It's a thing I made so that you could use spells and such. Since you lack a weapon, and there's definitely going to be Heartless out there on our mission, I decided to fashion you this contraption." Jessie nodded proudly after explaining that spell of necessary exposition.

"Uh, cool... How does it work?" Biggs asked dumbly, opting a sigh, then another speech from Jessie.

"The conduit takes the latent magic and light energy within the user and allows it to be utilized through advanced Gummi technology." She explained. "Observe."

Then without warning, Jessie slapped the conduit onto Biggs' back, spikes painfully jabbing into him and attaching to his body. "Gah!" He cried, feeling the needles settle into him, "The heck, Jessie!?" He demanded, receiving a shrug from the girl and a laugh from Wedge.

"Now, think about a spell you wanna do, point your hands in that direction, then shout the name of the spell."

Biggs' eyebrow twitched, then he pointed his opened right hand at Jessie, "Thundara!" He cried, lightning zapping the girl and frying her black. Jessie simply blinked.

"What a _shocking_ thing to do, Biggs." Wedge quipped, opting both his partners to give him a glare.

"Blizzard!" Biggs cried, sending chunks of ice flying at the chubby boy and freezing him solid. Biggs moved to his friend, pointing a threatening finger at his face, "No puns..." He said in a low threatening voice.

 _How cold of you._ Was all Wedge could think.

After thawing Wedge out with some Fira spells, the three of them boarded Jessie's favorite Gummi ship; _The Shera._ She was a medium sized ship, made from mostly dark blue and white Gummi blocks. She was equipped with two gatling cannons, a Dark-seeking missile launcher, and Light flares to evade incoming fire. She was pushed forward by a pair of large boosters, probably the largest booster of all the ships in the hangar. Her design was sleeker than most Gummi ships, utilizing many round and spherical Gummi blocks, in place of the usually angular and polygonal shape of most Gummi ships.

The ship was Jessie's pride and joy, and she spent day in and day out working on it. Now she could finally put it to use.

The interior of _The Shera_ was not nearly as impressive as her exterior. she had dull blue walls and white tile about the floor. At the bottom of the ship was the supply deck, filled with excess ammunition, food, changes of clothes, and other necessities. The lower middle deck was filled with five rooms; a captain's, and four crew. The upper middle deck housed a kitchen, a training room, and a small mess hall. The top deck was the cockpit, where you could see in all directions from the ovular bubble of glass that worked as a 360 degree windshield. Five seats were positioned to look forward, but they could all swivel to look in different directions. The forward most seat was placed just before a control yoke, white like the tile and covered in many buttons that neither of the boys understood.

"So, how ya' like the ship, boys?" Jessie asked, a proud grin across her face. The two had to pick their jaws up off of the floor before sprinting all over the interior of the vessel, touching everything, minds incapable of believing that one girl could build a Gummi Ship so amazing.

"It's awesome!" Wedge cheered, coming down the ladder from the kitchen, arms overflowing with food.

"Wedge! I told you to keep out of the fridge, dang it!" Jessie yelled as the chubby boy's feet hit the floor.

"Privilege!" He exclaimed, shoving a biscuit into his mouth defiantly.

A few minutes later and the three of them were sitting in the cockpit, Jessie at the helm, Biggs to her right, and Wedge spinning in his chair to her left.

"Seriously Wedge, quit spinning, it's getting annoying." Biggs ordered, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to ignore the squeaking of the chair's swivel.

"Privilege!" Wedge exclaimed once more, pumping a fist into the air and kicking his feet out as he span.

While those two bickered, Jessie checked to make sure all her systems were acting correctly. She flipped a few switches, receiving a low hum throughout the ship. "Generator's fine." She said to herself, then punched a code into the terminal to the right of the control yoke, a roar sounding from the rear of the ship and shaking the core of the crew. "Engines are a go." She finally settled on a big red button, labelled 'Launch'.

Jessie turned around to face the two bickering boys, "All hands, prepare for take off!" She cheered, her male counterparts paying her no attention as they continued arguing. Jessie scowled, then jammed the button in.

To say that the boys were startled by the take off was an understatement. Instead of flying off through the wide opening, they were dropped through a large gap opened just beneath their ship.

"Aaaaah!" The three screamed as they fell, mad laughter mixed into Jessie's screams. They finally fell out a hole in the bottom of the world, then Jessie gripped the controls, pushing them forcefully forward, the boosters in the back letting loose their roar as they blasted of into Gummi Space.

The two boys were pasted to the back of the cockpit, stuck there as the ship jetted off at ridiculous speeds. Jessie's knuckles were white around the controls, laughing like a madwoman as she flew through the empty space.

"Gahk!" was all Biggs could say as he tried to move.

The team had no leads on where they should go first but they knew of one world that seemed to have all sorts of weird people, or so they've heard.

Midnight City...


	4. The adventure begins

It's so bright that Yoru can't even see...

His eyes eventually adjusted, and his jaw hit the floor when he noticed his surroundings.

The sky was a bright cloudless blue that seemed to glow. He stood in a beautiful courtyard surrounded by trees he'd never seen, the greenest of grass and flowers everywhere. The walls and towers were rounded around him and looked like they were crafted from ivory, shooting hundreds of feet upward and making Yoru feel microscopic in comparison. Streets that looked as if they were paved from gold ran through his surroundings. It was beautiful.

But as beautiful as it was, something felt wrong. In this heaven of a world, there were no inhabitants, no sounds, no life. Yoru felt something eerie creep about him as he walked through the streets, looking for any signs of life. He found none.

Finally, as he rounded a corner, Yoru heard something.

Singing...

 _"In you and I, there's a new land..."_

Something about this voice seemed familiar to Yoru, like someone he knew...

 _"Angels in flight..."_

It hit Yoru like a stone. It was Luna's voice. Though, there was something off about it.

 _"My Sanctuary, my Sanctuary..."_

Yoru pinpointed the direction of Luna's voice, then turned around. There she stood, somewhere around a hundred feet or so away. Her hands were clasped together behind her, she stood up straight, and she stared right at Yoru as she sang.

 _"Our fears an lies melt away..."_

Yoru couldn't help it. He just started sprinting towards her as fast as he could. As he came closer, she began to run from him.

 _"Music will die..."_

Yoru chased her through the empty streets, attempting to call out to her, but no sound came from him.

 _"What's left of me..."_

She finally stopped before a large building in the center of the place. It was huge, dwarfing all the other buildings and towers around Yoru.

Luna walked through the gates of the building, turning to Yoru with a kind smile about her face. As the gates began to slowly close, separating Yoru from the one he cared about most, Luna sang one last time...

 _"What's left of me..."_

The gates slammed shut, and Yoru was separated from Luna.

 _"My Heart is a battleground..."_ A new voice said, startling Yoru.

Yoru turned around quickly to see a new figure standing behind him.

This figure was a man cloaked head to toe in a bleach white longcoat. A hood covered his head, and that hood concealed the man's face. He stood with his arms opened, his head lightly bowed.

 _"Yoru... You are not on the right path..."_ The man said, a warning tone hinted in his deep accented voice. As he spoke, his voice echoed throughout the vicinity, sounding like the voice of God.

 _What the hell are you talking about!? Who are you!?_ Yoru realized that his thoughts could be heard, as they rang throughout the ivory city, echoing and booming.

 _"You've taken steps that are not yours to take, child."_ The cloaked man warned, his voice shaking Yoru to his very core. _"Are you afraid of me, child?"_ The man asked, his head lowering as he spoke.

 _No, I'm not._ Yoru stated, clenching his fists, _Are you threatening me? Are you threatening Luna?_ He demanded, anger starting to flare in his silver eyes.

The man seemed to be amused by this. _"To fight those who shape Destiny would be a grievous mistake, child."_ He warned, raising his hand at they boy and summoning a weapon that looked like a mix between a key and a sword.

Its handle was checkered a dark grey and white, the silver angel wing guard curling from the hilt to the pommel, which looked like an onyx spearhead. Two razor sharp blades spired from the handle, running parallel to each other and reaching to be three feet long. The blades connected at the top of the sword by forming another spearhead, a gradient silver turning black. From the top of the blade came an onyx cross, pointing out one side, a silver square brace surrounding it. Hanging from the pommel of the sword was a spiked kanji symbol that Yoru couldn't read.

The weapon was beautiful and intimidating at the same time, and Yoru knew that he had nothing to fight the man with.

 _"You are going to wake up soon, child."_ The man told Yoru, pointing his weapon almost threateningly at the boy, _"And when you do, remember this..."_

 _"You will NOT open the door..."_

The world around Yoru seemed to become dimmer and dimmer. What was once blinding light soon degraded into eerie and cold darkness...

 _"Your Destiny is not for you to decide..."_

 _ **Awaken Eternity...**_

Everything flashed white!

Yoru opened his eyes to find himself in his home, a wild storm occurring outside. Night filled the sky and the clouds and rain blocked out the silvery moon.

 _That was some dream..._ Yoru thought as he righted himself to his feet.

Even though Yoru knew he was just dreaming, something felt off. Something about this storm bothered him, made him feel uneasy. He knew he couldn't get back to sleep, so he prepared to go outside. He knew there was a storm, he knew it wasn't safe, he knew what he was doing was illogical, yet he did it anyway.

He grabbed his black leather jacket that he had cut the sleeves to t-shirt length, slipped on his fingercut grey gloves, slid into his baggy dark grey pants, strapped on his big blue shoes, and threw his tattered grey scarf around his neck and tied it up. Last, but not least, he put his mouse necklace on. It dangled lamely over his scarf before he stuffed it in.

 _Okay Yoru, it's just a storm..._ He told himself as he walked out the door to his small home, _Just a storm..._

Yoru was soon proven how wrong he was after he'd set foot outside his door. The storm whipped violently, ripping trees and structures from their place in the ground and sucking them up and into a huge violet and blue vortex that swirled menacingly above the town. There were no people, only the creepy black monsters from Yoru's strange dream. Violet lightning and black fire shot all across Mount Fate, burning and absorbing it all.

In the center of it all stood Yoru, surrounded by the chaos of a dying world.

 _This... This is insane!_ Yoru screamed in his head, eyes darting around frantically at the destruction! _This can't be real! This CAN'T be real!_ Yoru found himself doubling over, retching on the floor as the world around him was torn apart by Darkness!

His school... Gone.

The Sawmill... Gone.

The forest... Gone.

The beautiful stars and moon... Gone.

Luna... _Luna... Luna!_

Yoru snapped to attention! He whipped around, a sudden horror instilled in him. _I have to find Luna!_ He decided. He knew it was pointless, he knew there was nowhere to run, he knew that she was probably gone. But he knew he had try! _I have to try! For the ones I love and hold dear!_

Yoru began a sprint! He knew that Luna was in trouble and he knew that he had to help her. He didn't know what it was, but he felt like he needed to go to the High Rock, he knew he'd find Luna there.

As he approached the forest path leading to the rock, four of those monsters from his dream sprang from the floor! Their sinewy black skin was dripping with some sort of dark perspiration, making them shine in darkness of the night. Their heads twitched angrily at Yoru, their hollow yellow eyes gleaming with contempt.

Yoru stepped back cautiously, the four creatures slowly approaching him like a pack of hungry wolves. Yoru tripped over, landing on his behind and allowing himself to open up for the beasts! He thought quickly as the four closed in, jumping to slash at him wish their dark claws! Yoru instinctively grabbed a stick next to him and swung it forcefully at the four!

In a sudden and blinding flash of light, the stick transformed! As it swung, the length of it transformed into a pale silver metal pole, a set of teeth reminiscent of a key sprouting from the top of it. The dusty wooden handle transformed into a comfortable rubbery grip, an onyx metal guard surrounding the handle and finishing the new weapon's key shape. Sprouting from the bottom of the handle was a chain, and at the end was a mouse pendant identical to Yoru's necklace.

This sudden transformation took place in mid swing, and as soon as this new weapon collided with the monsters, they dissipated into clouds of darkness!

Yoru looked down at the odd key-shaped sword... It felt good in his hand... It weighed just right and was surprisingly easy to swing.

 _Keyblade..._

 _Kingdom Key..._

 _Keyblade..._

 _In between..._

 _Keyblade..._

The words filled his head as he looked down at the weapon... The _Keyblade..._

He shook himself forcefully out of his trance, then remembered his goal. He had to get to the High Rock. He had to find Luna.

Yoru got back into his sprint, then headed down the path before him, Keyblade resting on his shoulder as he ran. He encountered more of those monsters as he ran, all were destroyed by the power of the Keyblade. Trees and buildings were sucked into the dark vortex above, none escaping.

Yoru finally reached the High Rock, though oddly enough there was a stairway leading to the top of the rock. The steps looked like they were made of polished marble, so untouched that they were reflective. They were ominous, and slightly intimidating. He eyed them cautiously, then hesitantly, Yoru walked up the steps.

As he reached the top of the High Rock, Yoru noticed several things that were different. The Endless Forest was now a pitch black void, there were thirteen columns lining the perimeter of the rock, and a large white door stood at the far end.

The door towered above Yoru, looking down on him. It was the same polished marble as the stairs, its top was pointed, there were no hinges, knobs, handles or anything. Just a large white door. But standing just before it was none other than Luna.

"Luna!" Yoru cried, running to approach her! Luna turned to him quickly, "Yoru! The Door!" She said with a horrified look on her face. "It's, it's-" She couldn't say what she needed to say, as much as she wanted to. "Luna, what do we do? I don't get it, what the hell is going on!?" Yoru demanded, spinning around and noticing that all that was left of Mount Fate was the High Rock and the two of them.

"Luna..." Yoru didn't know what to do. There was no escape from what was happening. He didn't even know what was happening...

Yoru looked down at the ground between the two of them. _I don't get it..._

He looked up to see Luna offering her hand to him.

"Yoru..." She said, tears in her eyes, "Take my hand..."

As Yoru reached out, the ground between the two of them started to split!

"Take my hand, you dummy!" Luna said, more desperation in her voice!

Just as their hands were about to grab hold of each other, the ground the two of them stood on was ripped apart! The two of them were sent flying into the vortex above, screaming the whole way!

 _Her hand! I need to grab her hand!_ Yoru cried in his head as he reached for Luna, even as they were being tossed through the sky! _Come on!_ He reached even further, using nothing but his will to move closer to her in the tethered wind and lightning of the Darkness!

Luna turned to him, tears in her eyes. Her face said it all... 'What's going to happen to us?'.

"Yoru!"

That was the last thing he could remember hearing before everything went black...


	5. The new world

_"You see, child?"_ A haunting and familiar voice spoke through the darkness, _"Your fate is not yours to decide..."_

That was the last thing Yoru heard before his eyes slowly peeled open.

He was slumped against some crates in an alley, it was dark, he had a blaring headache, and a strange weapon in his hand...

 _Keyblade..._

The word rattled throughout Yoru's brain.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time." Yoru grumbled to whatever voice was telling him about his new Keyblade.

"Heard what, kupo?"

Yoru looked to his left and saw some of the oddest creatures his eyes have set upon. They couldn't have been taller than a foot and a half, a pale cream color to their skin, nose big and red, their pudgy heads topped with red pom-poms.

"Waaah!?" Yoru cried, skittering away from the three creatures that were surrounding him! His fingers gripped around his Keyblade and he pointed it at them defensively.

"What's wrong with him, kupo?" One asked to another, "Act like he'd never seen a mog-squad before." The three creatures closed in on Yoru. One cocked his head curiously, "You lost, kupo?"

"Back away!" Yoru cried, waving the Kingdom Key defensively, "I think I know how to use this thing!" He was panting quickly and unevenly, backing up until he hit a wall.

One of the creatures sighed at the boy's antics, "He's probably another one of them racists, kupo. Don't know how to treat us moogles like people." The one in the center said, drooping down and walking away slowly and sadly.

"Wait, you guys aren't monsters?" Yoru questioned, lowering his guard slightly.

"We may look weird, but that don't give people the right to treat us like monsters, kupo!" The creature, revealed to be called a _moogle_ , on the left piped up. "So put that oversized key away! Jeez, how is that even effective!?"

Yoru flinched a little at the moogle's aggressive tone, but he nodded soon after.

It was odd, because it seemed that the very second he wanted the Keyblade to go away it complied, dissolving into an array of white and black tethers that looked like stitches. _Weird..._

"Great kupo, now we don't have to be on edge." Said the moogle to the left, who placed his nubby little hand under his chin. "First thing's first kupo, who are you?"

Yoru scratched the back of his head, "Uh, Yoru... Nice to meet you."

The little moogle extended its plushy stub that served as a hand, "Molulu," He said, "You gonna leave me hanging kupo?" Yoru crouched down to the moogle's level and lightly shook Molulu's 'hand'.

"I'm Moguel, kupo!" Said the spritely one from earlier, jumping up and waving enthusiastically.

"Well kupo, I'm Moghan," Said the one in the center, "What's up?"

Yoru looked at the trio and he couldn't help but smile.

"Now kupo, where're you from?" Moghan asked, cocking his head curiously.

It was then that Yoru was reminded of the painful event he'd endured... The storm, the monsters, losing his home... Losing the ones- no, _one_ that he loved... Losing Luna...

"I-I..." He found himself stuttering.

The mog-squad looked to one another as tears began to form in Yoru's eyes. "You think we peeled off a scab, kupo?" Molulo whispered to the others. The three turned to Yoru, walking closer to him. Molulu attempted to give Yoru a hug, wrapping his plushy arms around Yoru's left leg.

"Hey kupo, cheer up!" Moguel said, hopping up some crates to get to eye level with the boy, "You're okay kupo! What ever happened is in the past."

Moghan nodded simply, "Moguel's right kupo; you're okay right now, so you shouldn't worry."

Yoru felt the warmth from the three moogles' Hearts; he could tell that they meant well. He felt the rain in his own Heart become more gentle as he looked at the three friends. "Thanks guys..." Yoru mumbled, "But I got a question..."

"Anything kupo!" Moguel mused.

"Where in the world am I?"

 _ **Midnight City**_

The three teens from AVALANCHE had finally touched down at their destination: Midnight City. This meant that the horrifyingly fast and wild ride that Biggs and Wedge had to endure would come to an end.

"Solid ground!" Biggs cried as he jumped out of the ship, landing flat on the floor, "Oh, how I've missed you!"

Jessie and Wedge came out after him, a defined wobble in the latter's step. "Jeez, Biggs, are you _kissing_ the ground!?" Jessie questioned, gaining laughter from Wedge.

"Don't judge me, okay!" Biggs snapped back, "You don't know what it's like to ride passenger to your insane driving!" Biggs rose to his feet, brushing himself off as he did.

Wedge made his way over to his partner, grabbing onto him for support. "Get off'a me!" Biggs commanded, trying to push the chubby boy away. "C'mon dude, I'm still kinda dizzy." Wedge argued, still holding Biggs' arm as he wobbled.

Jessie looked at her two friends struggling and couldn't help but giggle, "You two would make the strangest brothers, you know."

The two boys eventually quit after Wedge stopped wobbling.

"So, what's the plan?" Wedge asked of Biggs, "Yeah, where do we go from here?" Jessie questioned as well.

Biggs turned to his friends with a confused look, "Since when am I the leader?" He asked them. Wedge muttered something along the lines of 'Gee, we're asking a lot of questions today.'

"Well, Commander Barret decided to tell _you_ the mission before us," Jessie began to explain, "so we assumed that _you_ would be the one in charge." Wedge nodded soon after, agreeing with her.

Biggs sighed and nodded, understanding his responsibility, "All right, but don't get all pissy if I tell you to do something you don't like." His partners nodded in consent. "Okay then," Biggs smiled, "Jessie, you're staying on the ship. Wedge, you're with me."

In that moment Wedge pumped his fist into the air happily, while jessie's jaw hit the floor.

"You're joking, right!?" The girl cried with her eyes wide in distraught. "We finally get to a new world and I don't get to do any exploring at all with you guys!?"

"Jessie, this isn't a vacation, we're on an important mission." Biggs said with crossed arms. "Besides, we need someone to watch over Shera while we're gone so that it doesn't get stolen by anyone. got it?"

The brown haired pilot groaned and gave the boy a lazy thumbs up before climbing back inside the gummi ship. She waved at the duo of Biggs and Wedge sullenly before closing the hatch and disappearing inside the ship.

"Do we really have to leave her behind?" Wedge asked his taller, thinner counterpart.

"Yep. We gotta keep a lock on Shera, or some goon will steal it." Biggs was stretching his arms out over his chest as he spoke. "Besides, saving the world is a man's job!" He grunted as he lifted his hands above his head.

Wedge shrugged. "Kinda sexist, but I'm still rarin' to go!" He began rolling his shoulders, then he ran ahead.

"Wait, Wedge, wait!" Biggs cried out, running after his friend.

KH-AE-KH-AE

Yoru rounded a corner, walking with the mog-squad. They were good people, he found out. They owned an items shop down in Mog-Town, a section of Midnight City segregated for the moogles to live in.

"Hey, for being such a good guy, Kupo, we'll even throw in a discount for you!" Moghan said with a smile, though his mouth couldn't be seen. His ever squinted eyes told his happiness, though.

"Thanks!" Yoru replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Though, I don't know if I'll ever be in need of anything."

"Kupo, trust us. You'll need it." Spoke Moguel as he walked ahead in his odd teetering fashion. "Especially when you see what lurks around-"

"Help me, Kupoooo!"

A voice cut out from around a corner. It was distinctly a moogle's and it sounded dismayed.

"Crap, Kupo! That sounded like Mocho!" Shouted Molulu, suddenly alerted and running forward.

"Wait, Kupo! It could be more of those darkupo!" Cried out Moghan as he ran after the younger moogle.

"Darkupo?" Yoru asked, confused. But then, he got a really bad feeling. He knew what probably awaited around that corner, so he readied himself. From black and white tethers came the Kingdom Key into Yoru's hand, and he gripped it tightly. Moguel looked at the keyblade and nodded. They both broke into a sprint.

Rounding the corner, it was exactly as Yoru had feared. More of those dark creatures from his world and his dreams surrounded the unconscious form of Molulu and another moogle, who he could guess was Mocho. Moghan was backing up slowly as they set their sights on the little moogle. THeir heads and antennae twitched wildly at their new prey. They were about to charge when...

"That's enough!" Yoru cried out, lifting his keyblade high above his head and catching the attention of the monsters. "I am Yoru of Mount Fate, and I will not let you hurt any of my friends anymore, new or old!" He challenged, pointing his keyblade at the creatures of darkness with a snarl.

They monsters in question began to twitch and contort furiously, before sinking into the ground and becoming shadows, darting right past Moghan and at the young man who taunted them.

Yoru dropped into a fighting stance and growled, "Come and get it, you freaks!"

The skirmish began with a shadow leaping from the ground with its claws wildly, only to be decimated by a hard slash through its small body. Another creature tried to scratched the boy's ankles, but had its head stepped on and the smashed with the keyblade. Yoru proceeded to spin in a circle with his keyblade in hand, destroying more monsters with the spinning attack. Soon, the were only two more.

Yoru smirked and held his keyblade out with one hand, pointing at the two of them in riposte. But, just as the beasts would start to sprint, they were torn through and destroyed by two flaming bolts.

"Huh!" Yoru looked over his shoulder to see a tall man towering over him with a long red scarf and cape. His hair was blacker than Yoru's and his arm was made of a deep bronze. In that metal arm was a pistol of some sort. He looked down at the boy with the most intimidating stare Yoru had ever witnessed. He put Kadaj and the brothers to shame. "Hmph." Was all he said, before clobbering Yoru over the head with the butt of his gun and knocking him out.


End file.
